Courses

According to Oscar Wilde (and a few others since him), “Good writers borrow, great writers steal.” In this spirit, we should all be encouraged to study and try out the approaches of authors we admire as we add to the toolbox of our craft. When we experiment with another author’s style, we end up with an interesting mix of their influence and our own sensibility, and this expands the ways we tackle our own fiction projects. Each week, we’ll look carefully at brief samples from one fiction writer to identify key elements of their style, including the use of language, dramatic tension, organizational structure, humor, dialogue, and more. Then, through weekly creative exercises and freewrites, we’ll try out the approaches of each author up for discussion—including Samantha Harvey, Lorrie Moore, Julie Otsuka, Tommy Orange, and more. The course also includes workshopping. Each writer will be able to submit a selection of their own fiction—either a short story or part of a novel—for peer and instructor feedback. This course is suitable for any fiction writer eager to take a deep dive into studying the styles of well-known authors with an eye to enhancing their own work.